This invention relates to a tape end processing unit for cutting or processing an end of a tape with a cutting blade.
There are many devices used to print marks, letters and others on a tape, in one of which the marks and letters are selected by turning a circular die provided with the marks and letters, and the selected letters and others are printed on a tape. Then the tape is cut by a cutting blade to a specified length and took out from the device. This type of device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,145.
In this type of device, however, there is a gap between a position where the letters and others are printed and a position where the tape is cut by the cutting blade to form a tape piece having printed letters thereon, so that an unnecessary and odd blank section is generated at each end of the tape piece.
Therefore, a tape end processing unit is necessary to cut off the odd section of the tape piece as described above, and when the tape piece is cut, it is necessary to cut off the blank sections accurately in terms of their length and cutting positions.
If a tape, which is stored in a tape forming device is wound around a roll-formed spool, and once a curl of the tape piece is generated, it is very difficult to accurately cut the curled tape piece at their ends.
Also, there is well known a printing device, in which letters, signs and others are printed on a tape comprising a releasable paper and a base tape which are laminated with an adhesive layer placed therebetween, and the tape is cut to a specified length to form a tape piece. A tape piece prepared by this type of printer is adhered on a file or others for use as an index to show the contents of the file after the releasable paper is separated from the base tape.
When the releasable paper is separated from the base tape, a user bends a corner of the tape piece to generate a small clearance between the adhesive layer and the releasable paper, and inserts a thin material such as a user's claw into the clearance to separate the releasable paper from the base tape.
When the releasable paper is separated from the base tape in a manner as described above, a fold is generated on the base tape, and sometimes it becomes difficult to adhere the base tape on something because of the fold, or the adhered tape piece is easily separated therefrom. It is known that this problem can be solved by making a machined line at an end of the tape piece with a specific cutting unit with the base tape and releasable paper kept in a laminated state.
Even in this case, however, when separating the releasable paper from the base tape, it is difficult for a user to accurately cut the base tape along the machined line, and sometimes the machined line itself makes an adhered tape piece more easily separable. Furthermore, when the machined line is formed on the tape, cracks sometimes occur at places other than the machined line on the tape due to quality of material of the base tape or a thickness thereof, and the tape itself becomes unavailable.